World Headquarters will start processing these awards early, beginning June 1, 2020. A member who wishes to apply Club Coach, club officer, or District officer service for the 2019-2020 program year toward a traditional ALB or ALS award can do so by submitting a completed Advanced Leader/DTM Award Application form to World Headquarters via email or fax.

For Club Coach roles, we will rely on preliminary Distinguished Club Program results. If the club is displaying as Distinguished on the Distinguished Club Program dashboard, World Headquarters will treat this as if the Club Coach role was successfully completed, thereby earning credit for the club support role and the exception granted previously for a District leadership role.

For club and District officer roles, so long as the role began on July 1, 2019 for a District officer’s term or January 1, 2020 for a club officer’s term, World Headquarters will assume that the role has been successfully completed through the end of the term.

For these award submissions, World Headquarters will start processing these awards early, beginning June 1, 2020. Please note that all awards looking for this early submission must be emailed or faxed, as they will not be accepted through Club Central. Please ensure that any awards submitted are received to World Headquarters no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Mountain Time on June 30, 2020. Additionally, please ensure the applications are complete, as there will also be no exceptions for applications received with missing information.

Yes. Toastmasters is not a pass/fail program. However, keep in mind that you get out of the program what you put into it. If you focus on meeting objectives, this will help ensure that you get the most from the program (this includes time objectives).

When a member is viewed on their club roster or other Toastmasters International resources, an acronym will show behind their name that represents their educational achievement(s). Depending on which program the member has completed work in, this may show different information and here is how it works.

Traditional education program award credentials are written as follows

Yes. You are allowed to do up to two speeches per manual outside of the club environment for credit toward an educational award, as long as you receive prior approval from your vice president education. You must receive a written and oral evaluation from a Toastmaster, although the Toastmaster does not need to be in the same club as you.

Speeches given at Toastmasters club meetings are considered to be in the club environment. Speeches given at any Toastmasters event that is not a club meeting are considered to be outside the club environment.

Giving a speech as a test speaker in an evaluation contest, or competing in a speech contest is considered to be an outside speech as long as it is a manual speech.

Members often hear "through the grapevine" that speeches concerning politics,
religion and sex are forbidden by Toastmasters International
because “such controversial subjects are not appropriate.”

This is not true.Toastmasters
International does not prohibit any speech topic, content or language.

Toastmasters International recognizes that club members may learn much about
the world around them from listening to others’ speeches on a variety of
subjects. This variety can add interest to club meetings and stimulate thoughts
and ideas. For these reasons, Toastmasters International does not place
restrictions on topics, content or language in any speech.

Toastmasters
International also recognizes that a club comprises a diverse group of people
and recommends that members be mindful of this diversity, using good
taste and sensitivity when selecting speech topics, content and
language.

While Toastmasters International has no organizational restrictions along
these lines, each individual club does have the right to limit speech
subjects, content and/or language, with the consensus of its members.
Club leaders should guide their members on how to observe good taste and
sensitivity in the context of that particular club.

Club websites
are useful vehicles clubs can use to advise members and guests of any policies
that have been decided. Presenting information on a club website helps
maintain consistency as leadership changes. Additionally, it allows
transparency and clarity for club members so they can periodically review the
established practices of their club.

For Advanced Leader Silver credit, a district officer term must be from July 1 – June 30, unless you are a replacement. If you are replacing another officer, the district must submit the change by September 1 for you to still receive credit.

*Term must be completed at the time you submit for the ALS award (e.g. if the term is complete on June 30th the award cannot be applied for until July 1st.)

Any member who successfully completes their role as a club coach can apply this credit toward an ALS in the traditional program or a DTM using the Pathways education program. The club support role of club coach may be included in the award submission by any active club officer through Club Central or by faxing or emailing the appropriate application to educationprogram@toastmasters.org.

For a club coach who reaches success by June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020, their credit can also count as credit for having served in a district leader role.

Special notes for the club coach double credit for club support and district leadership:

This only applies to roles successfully completed on June 30, 2019 or June 30, 2020. Any club coach roles successfully completed prior to this do not qualify.

This double credit can be applied toward any DTM, whether it is a first, second or third, etc.

This double credit does not expire. It may be used now or anytime in the future, including for an award after July 2020.

This dual credit for club support and district leader can be applied toward two separate awards. As an example, the club support role can be applied to a traditional program ALS (until the traditional education program ends in June 30, 2020) and the district leadership credit applied toward a Pathways DTM.

While club coaches during this period will be given credit toward a district leadership role, this credit and role will not affect their eligibility to compete in speech contests.

To apply the additional credit for district leadership, a club officer will need to complete a copy of the appropriate education award application and email it to educationprogram@toastmasters.org. Submissions containing the additional credit for district leadership cannot be processed online through Club Central.